NOTE TO EDITORS: Following is a summary of the major weather and
climate events of 1998 and several 1998 National Weather Service
highlights that you may want to develop in your end-of-the-year
reporting. Please contact John
Leslie, NOAA/NWS Public Affairs at (301) 713-0622 or Stephanie Kenitzer
at (301) 763-8000 ext. 7007 should you need assistance in developing
these stories:

1998 -- A Wet, Warm and Wild
Year: From the powerful El
Niño, to the ice storms that froze states to the north
and searing heat that scorched states to the south, to floods
that swallowed parts of America's heartland, to the horrific
might of Hurricane Mitch, 1998 will go down in the annals of
weather history as one of the wildest weather years in recent
times. Following is a summary of the some of the major weather
and climate events of 1998.

United States Weather and Climate Summary

The United States was wet and
warm in 1998. Based on preliminary January-November data from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
1998 was the wettest year since 1973 and the second wettest year
since 1895, when detailed records began. The ranking for wetness
was remarkable given the severe drought that extended from the
southern Plains to Florida during the spring and summer.

Depending on temperatures during
December, 1998 could end up being the warmest year on record.
Heat was persistent and widespread during the year, with the
country observing its second warmest winter on record, twenty-eighth
warmest spring, ninth warmest summer, and second warmest autumn.
Among the contiguous 48 states, only California was cooler than
normal, thanks in part to an especially cool spring.

The greatest number of tropical
storms to strike the country since 1985 caused an estimated $6.5
billion in damages, but helped to relieve drought in the South.
Though the abnormal weather contributed to a 28 percent drop
in the nation's cotton crop and 21 percent drop in the orange
crop compared with 1997, adequate rainfall and lack of sustained
heat in the Corn Belt resulted in record soybean production and
the second greatest corn output. Aided by El Niño-enhanced
rains, the nation harvested its largest wheat crop since 1990,
according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.

El Niño. Called the "climatic event of the century,"
one of the strongest El Niños on record dominated the
winter weather across the country. El Niño-related winter
storms and floods from December 1997 to March 1998 damaged property
and crops in California, and were blamed for 17 deaths (Source:
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center [NCDC]).
Most of the damage resulted from fierce storms in February, mainly
during the first 10 days of the month. California recorded 200
to 400 percent of normal precipitation, making it the seventh
wettest winter (December-February) in the past 103 years.

El Niño-related storms,
floods, and tornadoes during winter-spring 1998 in the Southeast
caused over $1 billion in damages and 132 deaths. Florida, where
winter rainfall (December - February) averaged 19 inches or 220
percent of normal, recorded both its wettest winter and wettest
November-March period ever. Florida also endured its deadliest
tornado outbreak on record when storms on the night of Feb. 22
killed 41 people in the Kissimmee area (Source: National Weather
Service [NWS]/Storm Prediction Center [SPC]),
and destroyed 800 residences (Source: NCDC).

El Niño-related Hawaii
drought from autumn of 1997 to May of 1998 resulted in water
restrictions in several areas and diminished reservoir supplies.
As of mid-June, Honolulu had measured only 1.76 inches of rain
since January 1, just 16 percent of normal.

The 1997-98 El Niño was
the first time that scientists around the world were able to
observe a major climate event from beginning to end, and issue
valuable forecasts to help mitigate the potential impacts. The
NWS issued predictions for the winter 1997-98 that allowed emergency
managers, businesses, communities and individuals to take steps
to prepare.

New England Ice Storm. One of the worst ice storms on record
struck upstate New York and northern New England during January
5-9, causing extensive damage to trees and powerlines and taking
16 lives. A one-to-three-inch coating of ice left as many as
500,000 utility customers without power and made road travel
nearly impossible. In Maine, four out of five residents lost
electrical service. This was the worst ice storm to hit the country
since February 1994, when a storm over the Southeast caused billions
of dollars worth of damage (Source: NCDC). National
Weather Service Forecast Offices in the region worked countless
hours to provide emergency managers and the public with life-saving
weather information.

Mild, Warm Winter. The second mildest winter in 103 years (December-February)
saved consumers billions of dollars in heating costs while urban
areas saved funds on snow-removal costs. Winter temperatures
averaged more than 10 F above normal over the North-Central states
and more than 5 F above normal from the Midwest through the Northeast.

Wet, Stormy Spring. A wet, stormy
spring with numerous severe weather outbreaks broke rainfall
records in the Midwest and Northeast and damaged crops in California.
The West had its wettest May-June ever, and April-June was the
wettest such period since at least 1895 in Rhode Island and Massachusetts;
the third wettest in Tennessee; and the fourth wettest in Iowa.
Atlantic, Iowa, set a state record for daily precipitation, measuring
13.18 inches of rain on
June 14.

Severe Tornado Outbreaks. Severe
storms were rampant in spring, with a tornado outbreak taking
34 lives in Alabama on April 8. On May 30, a tornado destroyed
Spencer, South Dakota, and claimed 6 lives. According to the
NWS, the nation recorded 333 tornadoes (but only three deaths)
in June, about 150 more than average and the second highest June
total in 49 years of record (Source: SPC).
Although severe weather diminished after June, the preliminary
national death toll from tornadoes during all of 1998 reached
129, about twice the number recorded in 1997 and three times
the average. By early December, an estimated 1255 tornadoes had
occurred across the U.S., with five of those being F4-F5 intensity.

At least 20 tornadoes cut a swath of destruction through parts
of Oklahoma on Oct. 4, breaking a record for the most tornadoes
ever reported in a single day in a single state during the month
of October since records began in 1950. Figures indicate 13 tornadoes
touched down in western and central Oklahoma, and seven in other
parts of the state. The number of confirmed tornadoes in Oklahoma
eclipsed the previous mark for October tornado outbreaks set
in 1996, when 18 twisters tore through sections of Florida. As
a result of accurate and timely weather warnings from local NWS
forecast offices, no lives were lost during this October outbreak.

Wildfires in Florida. By mid July, wildfires raging since late
May in Florida had consumed some 490,000 acres of land and destroyed
at least 370 structures. Wildfires in Texas burned 143,000 acres
in May-June, while the severe drought caused more than $2 billion
in damage to agriculture, according to state officials. For the
year, wildfires across the southern U.S. burned 1.3 million acres,
four times the acreage burned in 1997. The NWS deployed a team
of fire weather meteorologists to Florida to aid in providing
the most accurate and timely weather information to help manage
the fires and keep firefighters safe.

Summer Heat Wave and Drought.
Spring and summer heat and drought caused massive wildfire outbreaks
in Florida and damage to crops from the southern Plains to the
Southeast. April-June was the driest such period in 104 years
of record in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. May-June
was the warmest such period on record in Florida, Texas, Louisiana,
and Arkansas. The total drought and heat costs exceeded an estimated
$6 billion in damage/costs and resulted in at least 200 deaths
(Source: NCDC).

Summer-autumn drought from the
mid-Atlantic to Tennessee Valley caused crop losses, increased
wildfire risk, and threatened water supplies. July-November rainfall
was the lowest since 1930 in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
In addition, Tennessee, Maryland, and Virginia posted their second,
third, and fourth driest autumns in 104 years of record, respectively.

Active Hurricane Season. A total of 14 tropical storms and hurricanes
developed in the Atlantic basin during the 1998 season. Three
hurricanes and four tropical storms made landfall in the United
States this year, the most to strike the nation since 1985. Three
hurricanes (Bonnie, Earl, and Georges), as well as Tropical Storms
Charley, Frances, and Mitch, caused an estimated $6.5 billion
in damage to the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin
Islands, according to data released by the NWS' Tropical
Prediction Center.

Hurricane Bonnie struck the North
Carolina coast on Aug. 26, killing three; cutting off power to
nearly a half-million people; and causing $720 million dollars
in damage. Earl hit the Florida Panhandle on Sept. 3, causing
$79 million in damage. Hurricane Georges caused $5.1 billion
in damage, much of it in Puerto Rico on Sept. 21-22, where it
damaged or destroyed more than 170,000 homes before crossing
the Florida Keys and striking the U.S. Gulf Coast near Biloxi,
Mississippi on Sept. 27 (Source: Federal Emergency Management
Agency). Up to 20 inches of rain deluged Puerto Rico as well
as northwest Florida and southeastern Alabama. Hurricane Mitch,
which caused an estimated 9,000 deaths in Central America, crossed
southern Florida as a tropical storm on Nov. 4-5, bringing tornadoes,
heavy rains, and flooding.

Throughout the season, NOAA scientists,
working with NASA and university collaborators, conducted the
most complete and sophisticated campaign of observations in hurricanes
ever. This investment in technology and research continues to
provide better hurricane predictions.

Flooding throughout Texas and
other areas. Tropical Storms Charley and Frances, along with
several other wet weather systems, brought heavy rains to Texas
from August to November, ending drought over much of the state,
but causing at least 42 deaths from several rounds of severe
flooding. Tropical Storm Charley caused 9 deaths in Texas. Del
Rio, Texas, recorded its wettest day ever on August 23 with 17.03
inches of rain from Charley's remains. During the previous 8
1/2 months, Del Rio had measured just 2.89 inches. Frances made
landfall on the Texas coast on September 11, bringing a five-foot
storm surge and over two feet of rain. Another weather system
brought over a foot of rain to southeast Texas on Oct. 17-18,
causing major flooding and at least 29 deaths. Raging floodwaters
swept away or destroyed dozens of homes. San Antonio tallied
18.07 inches of rain in October, its wettest month ever, including
11.26 inches on Oct. 17, the city's wettest day ever. More than
10 inches of rain on south-central Kansas during Oct. 30 - Nov.
1 caused thousands of residents to seek shelter.

Early Winter Storms This Fall.
One of the most intense November storms on record crossed the
Great Plains on Nov. 9-10, setting all-time low pressure readings
in Iowa and Minnesota. The "super storm" caused 90
mph wind gusts in Wisconsin, over a foot of snow in the northern
Plains, and 20-foot waves on Lake Michigan.

Late Fall "Heat Wave."
An unprecedented autumn "heat wave" from mid-November
to early December broke or tied over 700 daily-high temperature
records from the Rockies to the East Coast. More than 70 monthly
temperature records were set in the first eight days of December
alone, as temperatures rose into the 70s as far north as South
Dakota and Maine.

Signs of La
Niña. A series of Pacific storms slammed into the
Northwest during November and early December, hurling 100-mph
winds at the coast, knocking roofs off of buildings and cutting
power to thousands of people. Heavy rains triggered floods in
Washington and Oregon. Seattle, Washington set a November record
with 11.62 inches of rain.

2. Goodbye El Niño --
Hello La Niña: The 1997-98 El Niño was the first
time that scientists around the world were able to observe a
major climate event from beginning to end, and issue valuable
forecasts to help mitigate the potential impacts. The NWS' Climate
Prediction Center issued predictions for the winter 1997-98 that
allowed emergency managers, businesses, communities and individuals
to take steps to prepare.

This winter we will not see another
El Niño but another climate phase called La Niña.
La Niña tends to bring nearly opposite effects of El Niño
to the United States  wetter than normal conditions across
the Pacific Northwest and drier and warmer than normal conditions
across much of the southern tier of the country. The Climate
Prediction Center forecasts indicate the cold episode (La Niña)
will likely continue through the northern 1998-99 winter.

3. New NWS Leader Envisions America's
"No Surprise" Weather Service: John J. Kelly, Jr. became
director of the National Weather Service in February 1998. Under
his leadership the National Weather Service has adopted a vision
to be America's "no-surprise" weather service. Under
Kelly's leadership, the NWS strives to be "a world class
team of professionals who produce and deliver quality forecasts
you can trust when you need them most; use cutting edge techniques;
provide services in a cost effective manner; strive to eliminate
weather-related fatalities and improve the economic value of
weather information."

4. Interactive Computer Systems
Multiply the Benefits of Modernized Weather Services: In April
1998, Commerce Secretary William M. Daley approved the NWS' plan
for a full production and installation of interactive weather
computer and communications systems that will help provide better
weather- and flood-related services to protect life and property.
In total, 152 Advanced Weather Interactive Processing Systems
(AWIPS) will be installed nationwide by the end of FY 1999. AWIPS
will help NWS forecasters take full advantage of the many modern
technologies that the NWS has added during its decade-long modernization
and restructuring.

5. New Supercomputer Will Improve Weather, Climate and Flood
Forecasts. In October 1998, the NWS awarded a four-year contract
to lease a new supercomputer that will significantly improve
its weather, flood and climate forecasts for the country from
International Business Machines (IBM). The new high-performance
Class VIII computing system will use a highly parallel computer
architecture to immediately provide a significant increase in
computational capacity and will allow the NWS to operate more
sophisticated models of the atmosphere and oceans to improve
weather, flood and climate forecasts for the country.

6. Dial-A-Buoy Service Launched: A new service called Dial-A-Buoy
lets mariners obtain the latest coastal and offshore weather
observations from the NWS by telephone. Dial-A-Buoy provides
wind and wave measurements taken within the last hour at 65 buoy
and 54 Coastal-Marine Automated Network stations located in coastal
waters around the United States and in the Great Lakes. A phone
line at the National Data Buoy Center at Stennis Space Center,
Miss., allows callers to enter a combination of touch tone keys
and get current observations which also are posted on the Center's
Internet site http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov.

7. Potentially Life-Saving Radio Network Grows: With the installation
of 26 new transmitters, the NOAA Weather Radio network expanded
this year to a total of 481 stations located in all 50 states,
adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and U.S. Pacific Territories. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts up-to-the-minute
NWS forecasts and warnings 24 hours a day. The newest models
can be set to activate when severe weather strikes -- even when
you are asleep!

8. NWS Is the Primary Source
of Weather Data: The data used to produce the slick TV weather
graphics that you see on the evening news most likely originated
with the NWS that day. NWS data and products form a national
information database and infrastructure which can be used by
other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public,
and the global community. Taxpayers provide more than a billion
dollars a year to maintain the NWS' newly modernized infrastructure
of weather satellites, radars, and supercomputers that benefit
us all with more accurate weather and climate forecasts and warnings.

9. EMWIN is a Win-Win: The NWS
and emergency managers continue to strengthen their partnership
to help protect lives and property faced by the threat of severe
weather. One example of this alliance is the Emergency Managers
Weather Information Network (EMWIN),
a system that transmits live weather information to computers
across the U.S., the Caribbean and over most of the Pacific Ocean.
More than ever, the EMWIN system gives emergency managers the
capability to respond faster to severe weather and other natural
threats. Recently, EMWIN received frequency certification and
will be allowed to operate on 163.35 MHZ at 175 watts in Silver
Spring, Md. Additionally, EMWIN also received a national frequency
of 163 and 163.35 MHZ at 100 watts to operate throughout the
United States and its possessions. (EMWIN
backgrounder)

10. Modernization Pays Off: The NWS team of world class meteorologists
strives daily to reach a goal of providing the American public
with a "no surprise" National Weather Service and give
the public the most benefit possible from the nearly completed
$4.5 billion modernization. Recent severe weather verification
statistics prove that this goal is well within reach. For example,
lead time warnings for flash floods improved from 22 minutes
in 1993 to 52 minutes in 1998. While accuracy for flash flood
predictions increased from 71 percent to 83 percent. Also, lead
time for tornado warnings nearly doubled from six minutes in
1993 to 11 minutes in 1998. During those five years, tornado
warning accuracy increased from 43 percent to 67 percent. The
NWS has set goals to continue improving services into the next
millennium to keep the public safe and demonstrate the potentially
life-saving value of tax dollars for weather services. The NWS
continues to strive for greater warning lead times and accuracy
not only for tornado and flash floods, but also for severe thunderstorms,
temperature forecasts, snowfall amounts, precipitation forecasts
and landfall for hurricanes.